published on 07.04.17

In house music circles, the name Jazz-N-Groove is spoken in reverential tones. Brian Tappert & Marc Pomeroy’s involvement in music stretches back to the 1980s. Brian’s early DJ career drew inspiration from Tony Humphries’ radio show in his native New Jersey, whilst Floridian Marc honed his technical abilities as a producer and studio engineer with tastes ranging from Steely Dan to MFSB. The early 90s saw Brian trying his hand at production and Marc turning his to house music, and a chance meeting in 1992 heralded the birth of one of house music’s most prolific and well-respected partnerships. Best known as Jazz-N-Groove, but also recording individually and collaboratively as Urban Blues Project, Soulsearcher and Cleptomaniacs (together with longtime friend John Julius Knight), for labels such as Bassline, Sub-Urban, Strictly Rhythm and AM:PM, their work fast became touchstones for their soulful heart and exquisite musicianship. The pair’s business acumen would prove as sharp as their ear for music, establishing the much-loved Soulfuric label family in 1996, and the pioneering specialist download store Traxsource in 2004.

Defected’s first ever single was Soulsearcher’s UK Top 10 hit ‘Can’t Get Enough’, which has new remixes incoming over the coming months, and the label’s relationship with the duo now comes full circle as Jazz-N-Groove join the ranks of House Masters. Marc Pomeroy’s ‘Can’t Get Enough’ is naturally included, along with Brian & Marc’s first co-production Urban Blues Project ‘Deliver Me’ – a firm favourite of Godfather of House Frankie Knuckles – and such bona fide house classics as Cleptomaniacs ‘All I Do’ and Moné ‘We Can Make It’ (made with regular collaborator Roy Grant), plus stellar remixes for Loleatta Holloway, Donna Allen, Louie Vega and Shakedown. With tracks presented in full-length, unmixed format, ‘Defected presents House Masters - Jazz-N-Groove’ is an essential addition to the collections of DJs and fans of soulful house music alike.

Marc Pomeroy & Brian Tappert: “It's an amazing honor for us to be included in the prestigious House Masters series and we are truly humbled. Our focus as artists and label owners has and always will be about quality over quantity and we feel that this collection perfectly reflects this ethos. We hope you enjoy the records as much as we enjoyed making them and working on this project!”